MONROE - Jake Hirsbrunner missed a jumper at the buzzer and Edgerton knocked off Monroe 42-41 in the semifinals of the seventh annual Summer Slam tournament Sunday.
Monroe rallied from a 14-point second half deficit. The Cheesemakers had two golden scoring opportunities in the final minute. In addition to Hirsbrunner's jumper at the buzzer, Monroe's Kylan Helmeid had a shot blocked. Monroe finished the tournament 3-1 and came up just one win short of making the championship game against Badger South Conference rival Milton. Edgerton defeated Milton 53-51 for the title in the gold bracket.
"It definitely leaves a sour taste in your mouth," said Hirsbrunner, who averaged 14 points per game in the tournament and scored a team-high 12 against Edgerton. "The main objective is to win your home tournament. It was just one of those games where everything was off. You win some and you lose some."
In pool play, Monroe defeated Wisconsin Heights 46-25 and knocked off Highland 55-38. In the quarterfinals of the gold bracket, Monroe beat Delavan-Darien 50-42. Dodgeville beat Columbus 63-49 to win the silver bracket and Darlington defeated Lake Mills to win the bronze bracket.
Monroe coach Brian Bassett said Edgerton killed Monroe with 12 offensive rebounds.
"We just didn't put a body on a body and didn't do a good job of boxing out," Bassett said. "Defensively, we didn't do a good job of getting in the gaps and stopping penetration. We had a problem with that the whole game."
The Cheesemakers chipped away at the deficit, led by Kevin Noriega who scored all seven of his points in the final 5 minutes to fuel Monroe's comeback. Noriega and Hirsbrunner hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Edgerton's lead to 42-41 with one minute to go.
"Kevin Noriega really sparked us," Bassett said.
That set the stages for the Cheesemakers' final possession where they came away empty.
"It was frustrating," Bassett said. "We had the plays in the places we wanted. It wasn't there right away. We just didn't have the urgency. We just didn't hit the shot. It's great for these guys to be in a situation like this. It will prepare them for next basketball season."
In the first game of the tournament against Wisconsin Heights, Monroe's Charlie Kind scored a team-high 13 points and hit two 3-pointers to lead the Cheesemakers. Hirsbrunner added seven points.
The Cheesemakers jumped out to a 13-0 lead against Highland by pushing the ball in transition. Hirsbrunner scored the first six points and all 15 of his points in the first half. Eric Vale chipped in eight points and Logan Weckerly had seven points.
Hirsbrunner also sparked a big surge in the quarterfinals against Delavan-Darien. Hirsbrunner scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half to lead the Cheesemakers. The Cheesemakers went on a 28-9 run in the first half highlighted by a Hirsbrunner 3-pointer and Kind's three-point play.
The Cheesemakers led by as many as 22 points. Delavan-Darien rallied by sinking several 3-pointers and switching to a press. The Cheesemakers made just 1 of 7 free throws in the final 3 minutes as Delavan-Darien whittled the Cheesemakers' lead down to seven points.
"I thought we did a fantastic job of sharing the ball in the first three games and getting good looks at the basket," Bassett said. "In the last game they pressured us. We were going more one-on-five and putting up bad shots."
Several players got invaluable experience in the tournament.
"The guys coming off the bench did a fantastic job of playing defense, playing with energy and finishing in the lane," Bassett said.
Albany finished the tournament 2-1 and knocked off Dodgeville 38-36 on senior Isaiah Shell's 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Comets defeated Sun Prairie JV 42-34 and then lost to Sauk Prairie.
Albany is playing in a Prairie du Chien tournament next weekend and will play Cuba City and Fennimore as part of four games.
"These guys coming back have had some experience," Albany coach Derik Doescher said. "We have been tasting winning. All of the work they are putting in is paying off now. We are playing good competition and bigger schools. That can only help us get better."
Shell, who left to play an AAU game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, likes the strides the Comets have made.
"It was a very long day," Shell said. "I'm playing a lot of basketball over the summer. I feel like we are getting better. We are starting to click now."
Monroe rallied from a 14-point second half deficit. The Cheesemakers had two golden scoring opportunities in the final minute. In addition to Hirsbrunner's jumper at the buzzer, Monroe's Kylan Helmeid had a shot blocked. Monroe finished the tournament 3-1 and came up just one win short of making the championship game against Badger South Conference rival Milton. Edgerton defeated Milton 53-51 for the title in the gold bracket.
"It definitely leaves a sour taste in your mouth," said Hirsbrunner, who averaged 14 points per game in the tournament and scored a team-high 12 against Edgerton. "The main objective is to win your home tournament. It was just one of those games where everything was off. You win some and you lose some."
In pool play, Monroe defeated Wisconsin Heights 46-25 and knocked off Highland 55-38. In the quarterfinals of the gold bracket, Monroe beat Delavan-Darien 50-42. Dodgeville beat Columbus 63-49 to win the silver bracket and Darlington defeated Lake Mills to win the bronze bracket.
Monroe coach Brian Bassett said Edgerton killed Monroe with 12 offensive rebounds.
"We just didn't put a body on a body and didn't do a good job of boxing out," Bassett said. "Defensively, we didn't do a good job of getting in the gaps and stopping penetration. We had a problem with that the whole game."
The Cheesemakers chipped away at the deficit, led by Kevin Noriega who scored all seven of his points in the final 5 minutes to fuel Monroe's comeback. Noriega and Hirsbrunner hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Edgerton's lead to 42-41 with one minute to go.
"Kevin Noriega really sparked us," Bassett said.
That set the stages for the Cheesemakers' final possession where they came away empty.
"It was frustrating," Bassett said. "We had the plays in the places we wanted. It wasn't there right away. We just didn't have the urgency. We just didn't hit the shot. It's great for these guys to be in a situation like this. It will prepare them for next basketball season."
In the first game of the tournament against Wisconsin Heights, Monroe's Charlie Kind scored a team-high 13 points and hit two 3-pointers to lead the Cheesemakers. Hirsbrunner added seven points.
The Cheesemakers jumped out to a 13-0 lead against Highland by pushing the ball in transition. Hirsbrunner scored the first six points and all 15 of his points in the first half. Eric Vale chipped in eight points and Logan Weckerly had seven points.
Hirsbrunner also sparked a big surge in the quarterfinals against Delavan-Darien. Hirsbrunner scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the first half to lead the Cheesemakers. The Cheesemakers went on a 28-9 run in the first half highlighted by a Hirsbrunner 3-pointer and Kind's three-point play.
The Cheesemakers led by as many as 22 points. Delavan-Darien rallied by sinking several 3-pointers and switching to a press. The Cheesemakers made just 1 of 7 free throws in the final 3 minutes as Delavan-Darien whittled the Cheesemakers' lead down to seven points.
"I thought we did a fantastic job of sharing the ball in the first three games and getting good looks at the basket," Bassett said. "In the last game they pressured us. We were going more one-on-five and putting up bad shots."
Several players got invaluable experience in the tournament.
"The guys coming off the bench did a fantastic job of playing defense, playing with energy and finishing in the lane," Bassett said.
Albany finished the tournament 2-1 and knocked off Dodgeville 38-36 on senior Isaiah Shell's 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Comets defeated Sun Prairie JV 42-34 and then lost to Sauk Prairie.
Albany is playing in a Prairie du Chien tournament next weekend and will play Cuba City and Fennimore as part of four games.
"These guys coming back have had some experience," Albany coach Derik Doescher said. "We have been tasting winning. All of the work they are putting in is paying off now. We are playing good competition and bigger schools. That can only help us get better."
Shell, who left to play an AAU game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, likes the strides the Comets have made.
"It was a very long day," Shell said. "I'm playing a lot of basketball over the summer. I feel like we are getting better. We are starting to click now."
